1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to novel compounds which have retinoic acid-like biological activity. More specifically, the present invention relates to compounds having an ethynyl-heteroaromatic or an ethynyl-phenyl portion and a second portion which is an alkyl-substituted thiochromanyl, chromanyl or tetrahydroquinolinyl group. The present invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds and to methods of using the compounds and compositions.
2. Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,326,055 discloses ethene derivatives which have a substituted phenyl ring and a substituted indane or tetrahydronaphtalene group. The compounds are described as tumor inhibiting agents, and useful for treating dermatological conditions and rheumatic illnesses.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,028 discloses 1,2-diphenylethene (stilbene) derivataves which have retinoic acid-like activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,519 discloses certain aromatic heterocycle derivatives which have retinoic acid like activity.
Published European Patent Application 0 130795 discloses ethene derivatives, where the ethene moiety is substituted by a substituted phenyl group and by a substitituted chroman, thiochroman or quinoline group. The compounds are useful for inhibiting the degradation of cartilage in mammals.
European Patent Application 176034A (published Apr. 2, 1986) discloses tetrahydronaphtalene compounds having an ethynylbenzoic group. U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,098 discloses compounds wherein three olefinic units from the acid-containing moiety of retinoic acid are replaced by an ethynylphenyl functionality. These compound have retinoic acid-like biological activity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,804 (issued on Mar. 7, 1989) based on an application of the same inventor and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, discloses such disubstituted acetylene compounds wherein one of the substituents of the acetylene (ethyne) group is a substituted phenyl group, and the second substituent is a 4,4-dimethyl substituted 6-chromanyl, 6-thiochromanyl or 6-tetrahydroquinolinyl group. The compounds disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,804 have retinoic acid-like biological activity.
A published European patent application of the present applicant (Publication No. 0284288, published on Sep. 28, 1988) describes compounds having retinoic acid like activity which are 4,4 dimethyl substituted chroman-6-yl, and 4,4 dimethyl-substituted thiochroman-6-yl acetylenes also substituted by a substituted heteroaryl group. This European application is based on the earliest of the "parent" applications of the present continuation-in-part application.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,369 describes compounds having retinoic acid like activity which are 2,2,4,4 tetraalkyl substituted chroman-6-yl, and 2,2,4,4 tetraalkyl substituted thiochroman-6-yl acetylenes also substituted by a substituted phenyl group.
Several co-pending applications and recently issued patents of the present inventor, which are assigned to the assignee of the present application, are directed to further compounds having retinoic acid-like activity. Among these U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,551 (issued on Sep. 3, 1991 and assigned to the same assignee as the present application) describes compounds having retinoic acid like activity which are 2,2,4,4 tetraalkyl substituted chroman-6-yl, and 2,2,4,4 tetraalkyl substituted thiochroman-6-yl acetylenes also substituted by a substituted heteroaryl group.
Retinoic acid-like activity has been generally recognized in the art to be associated with useful biological activity. Specifically, compounds having retinoic acid-like activity are useful as regulators of cell proliferation and differentiation, and particularly as agents for treating dermatoses, such as acne, Darier's disease, psoriasis, icthyosis, eczema and atopic dermatitis, and for treating and preventing malignant hyperproliferative diseases such as epithelial cancer, breast cancer, prostatic-cancer, head and neck cancer and myeloid leukemias, for reversing and preventing atherosclerosis and restenosis resulting from neointimal hyperproliferation, for treating and preventing other non-malignant hyperproliferative diseases such as endometrial hyperplasia, benign prostatic hypertrophy, proliferative vitreal retinopathy and dysplasias, for treating autoimmune diseases and immunological disorders (e.g. lupus erythematosus), for treating chronic inflammatory diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, for treating and preventing diseases associated with lipid metabolism and transport such as dyslipidemias, for promoting wound healing, for treating dry eye syndrome and for reversing and preventing the effects of sun damage to skin.